Power amplifier and pulse-width modulated amplifier

Abstract

The invention relates to a power amplifier having a phase amplification path with a phase amplification stage within said phase amplification path. Here the phase amplification stage receives a magnitude component of the power amplified output signal, and the phase amplification stage is responsive to a phase component of the input signal, a magnitude component of the input signal, and the received magnitude component of the power amplified output signal for generating the power amplified output signal. The invention also relates to a power amplifier having a magnitude amplification path for a magnitude component of the input signal with a magnitude amplifier stage within said magnitude amplification path, and with the power amplifier further having a phase amplification path with a phase amplification stage within said phase amplification path.

1. A power amplifier for generating a power amplified output signal from an input signal, said power amplifier comprising:
 a phase amplification path, and 
 a phase amplification stage within said phase amplification path, 
 
       wherein the phase amplification stage receives a magnitude component of the power amplified output signal, and the phase amplification stage is responsive to a phase component of the input signal, a magnitude component of the input signal, and the received magnitude component of the power amplified output signal for generating said power amplified output signal, and 
       wherein the phase amplification stage comprises
 a difference detector for generating an output depending on the difference between the received magnitude component of the input signal and the received magnitude component of the power amplified output signal, 
 an amplitude to phase converter for converting the output of the difference detector to a phase difference signal, and 
 a phase shifter with a first phase shifter for shifting the phase of a first phase signal, which first phase signal is a function of the phase component of the input signal, with the phase difference generated by the amplitude to phase converter, and a second phase shifter for shifting the phase of the first phase signal with the inverse of the phase difference generated by the amplitude to phase converter. 
 
     
     
       2. A power amplifier for generating a power amplified output signal from an input signal, said power amplifier comprising:
 a phase amplification path, and 
 a phase amplification stage within said phase amplification path, 
 
       wherein the phase amplification stage receives a magnitude component and a phase component of the power amplified output signal, and the phase amplification stage is responsive to a phase component of the input signal, a magnitude component of the input signal, and the received magnitude and phase components of the power amplified output signal for generating said power amplified output signal, and 
       wherein the phase amplification stage comprises
 a phase discriminator for generating an output signal depending on the phase component of the input signal and the received phase component of the power amplified output signal, 
 a phase shifter for generating a fast phase shifted signal by shifting the phase of the input phase component as a function of the signal being output from the phase discriminator, 
 a difference detector for generating an output depending on the difference between the received magnitude component of the input signal and the received magnitude component of the power amplified output signal, 
 an amplitude to phase converter for converting the output of the difference detector to a phase difference signal, and 
 a phase shifter with a first phase shifter for shifting the phase of the first phase shifted signal with the phase difference generated by the amplitude to phase converter, and a second phase shifter for shifting the phase of the first phase shifted signal with the inverse of the phase difference generated by the amplitude to phase converter. 
 
     
     
       3. A power amplifier according to  claim 2 , wherein the phase amplification stage further comprises an up converting mixer and a local oscillator producing an oscillator output signal, said up converting mixer having the input phase component and the oscillator output as inputs and producing an up converted phase signal, which up converted phase signal is replacing the input phase component as input to said phase discriminator and said phase shifter for generating the first phase shifted signal. 
     
     
       4. A power amplifier according to  claim 2 , wherein the phase amplification stage comprises a phase feedback path for coupling the power amplified output signal to the phase discriminator as said phase component of the power amplified output signal. 
     
     
       5. A power amplifier according to  claim 4 , wherein the phase feedback path comprises a limiter for generating the phase component of the power amplified output signal. 
     
     
       6. A power amplifier according to  claim 4 , wherein the phase feedback path comprises an attenuator for reducing the power amplified output signal. 
     
     
       7. A power amplifier according to  claim 1 , said power amplifier further comprising:
 a magnitude amplification path for a magnitude component of the input signal, and 
 a magnitude amplifier stage within said magnitude amplification path, 
 
       wherein the phase amplification stage further receives an amplified magnitude component of the input signal from the magnitude amplifier stage, and the phase amplification stage further is responsive to the received amplified magnitude component of the input signal for generating said power amplified output signal. 
     
     
       8. A power amplifier according to  claim 1 , wherein the power amplified signal generated by the phase amplification stage relates substantially linearly in phase and amplitude to the input signal. 
     
     
       9. A power amplifier according to  claim 1 , wherein the phase amplification path comprises a magnitude feedback path for coupling the power amplified output signal to the difference detector as said magnitude component of the power amplified output signal. 
     
     
       10. A power amplifier according to  claim 9 , wherein the magnitude feedback path of the phase amplification path comprises an output envelope detector for detecting a magnitude component of the power amplified output signal. 
     
     
       11. A power amplifier according to  claim 9 , wherein the magnitude feedback path of the phase amplification path comprises an attenuator to reduce the amplitude of the magnitude component of the power amplified output signal. 
     
     
       12. A power amplifier according to  claims 1 , further comprising an input envelope detector for detecting a first input magnitude component of the input signal and for coupling said first input magnitude component to the phase amplification stage. 
     
     
       13. A power amplifier according to  claim 12 , wherein the first input magnitude component is coupled to the difference detector of the phase amplification stage as the received magnitude component of the input signal. 
     
     
       14. A power amplifier according to  claim 1 , wherein the phase amplification stage comprises a limiter for generating the phase component of the input signal. 
     
     
       15. A power amplifier according to  claim 1 , wherein the phase shifter having the first and second phase shifters further comprises a first and a second multiplier/mixer for shifting the phase of the input phase component or the first phase shifted signal with the generated phase difference and the inverse of said phase difference signal, respectively. 
     
     
       16. A power amplifier according to  claim 7 , wherein the phase amplification stage comprises a first and a second phase amplifier for amplifying the output signals of the first and second phase shifters, respectively. 
     
     
       17. A power amplifier according to  claim 1 , wherein the first phase signal is the phase component of the input signal. 
     
     
       18. A power amplifier according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the phase amplification stage further receives a phase component of the power amplified output signal and further is responsive to said phase component of the power amplified output signal for generating said power amplified output signal, 
 wherein the phase amplification stage further comprises: 
 a phase discriminator for generating an output signal depending on the phase component of the input signal and the received phase component of the power amplified output signal, and 
 a phase shifter for generating a first phase shifted signal by shifting the phase of the input phase component as a function of the signal being output from the phase discriminator, and 
 wherein the first phase signal is said first phase shifted signal.